


An overdue confession

by KhissaCat



Series: Baring your heart [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged up characters, College, Crush, F/M, Marinettes crush, possible confession scenario
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 06:04:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9308600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KhissaCat/pseuds/KhissaCat
Summary: Just a scenario I toyed with where Marinette finally confesses her crush to Adrien, the friends reconnect in in college and angst and talking happens...





	

He drifted, gliding, the golden glow that surrounded him warm and inviting, threatening to turn her to ashes at his passing. He didn’t see her, or chose not to, she wasn’t sure which, still she smiled at him, dared to hope. A melodious laugh fell from his lips as he passed, and it clung to her like summer dew. And he was gone. The fading glow of his presence leaving her cold and feeling just a little sickened. Mercy how could her crush have gotten worse. Carefully she picked her way through the hall to her next lecture, feeling empty, he was as close as he had ever been. And at the same time infinitely further from her reach.

An ugly scowl tugged at her features, self-loathing rising in her throat like gall. What the hell was she thinking, slowly she cast a look over her shoulder, how could she ever rise to meet the likes of him, why would he ever reach down to meet the likes of her, it’s not like he ever had a reason too. it’s not like she gave him any. How could she. If she was barely even able to speak to him.

Biting back hot tears that pricked the corners of her eyes, she entered the lecture hall and found herself a seat near the back. Sighing at the irony that she had never been on time in high school, but now she was invariably early, wallowing in the solitude of the empty theatres. Empty, she thought ruefully, like her life was destined to be… alone.

 

Mari yelped, the hall had been crowded, students bustling between lectures, the jock had been animatedly conversing with his crew, his shoulder collided with her back hard, and she was sent sprawling, her notes and books strewn around her.  
Now she tried to cut out the familiar sound of unpleasant laughter, truly college was no big change from high school for her. There were still those more than willing to take mean pleasure at another’s expense. And Mari, unassuming, plain, clumsy, slightly built Mari, was an easy target.

She rolled up onto her knees with a sigh, and began gathering up her belongings, her hair falling across her face, the band that held it somewhere amongst the strewn papers.

“That idiot! are you hurt miss?” the voice was kind, and a figure knelt beside her and began gathering up loose notes.  
“Just my pride,” Mari chuckled softly, accepting the offered bundle of notes and stuffing them back into a folder. Not looking at the Samaritan for a moment as she tried to compose herself. In truth she had been very close to tears, “ thanks.”  
“You’re welcome, here.” He rose, and a hand was offered to help her to her feet.  
Mari took it, and another strong hand closed gently around her elbow, lifting her easily.  
“Th-thank you.” Mari ducked her head, bringing her hand around her neck to gather up her hair, pulling it over one shoulder before looking up at the kind stranger. Sapphire blue eyes met summer-sprung green. His eyes widened, and Mari’s breath caught, Adrien.

Adrien froze, Mari’s hand still held lightly in his, she blinked feeling like rabbit caught in the headlights, as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth “Marinette?”  
“H-hi Adrien.”

He almost knocked her over again, throwing his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into a rough hug “Marinette!”  
All Mari managed was a stifled squeak, which made Adrien laugh, a rolling melodious sound that made her knees go weak. He pushed her back to arms-length, his hands on her shoulders as his eyes raked over her “I can’t believe it’s you!” He was beaming. He was golden. She was a goner. 

“Wh-what are you doing here?!” he stammered, he was grinning like a school boy, and Mari couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her, “I’m- I study here.”  
“WHAT!”  
Mari nodded, words sticking in her throat, Adrien just gaped, his eyes drifting to a point in space somewhere over her head, before snapping back down to hers “You’ve been here the whole time?” She nodded again, Adrien sagged a little “One of my friends has been here the whole time, and I had no idea! My god I’ve missed you guys so much!” He hung his head and Mari’s heart shattered, he hadn’t seen her! all the times she thought that he had ignored her, he simply hadn’t seen her.  
His shoulders shook softly as he started to laugh again, “Well that just my rotten, lousy, dumb luck!” He met her eyes again, and his were a little misty, “I’m so glad to see you Mari.”  
He looked so small, so grateful, Mari felt herself step forward into the hands that still rested on her shoulders, she felt herself raise onto tip toe to wrap her arms around his neck, she felt him snake his arms around her back and hold on tightly. She quickly squashed the part of her brain that was freaking out because she was hugging Adrien, he needed this, he needed a friend, and this time, she was going to be there.

He drew back, still grinning, just looking at her for a moment before a small chuckle crinkled his eyes, “Hey! what time do your lectures end?”  
Mari, pulled out her notebook and flipped to her timetable “T-two thirty?”  
“Excellent! mine end at two! do you know the little coffee shop near the library? I’ll meet you there?” His eyes were pleading, she couldn’t say no. Not that she had any mind to.

He was beaming as he greeted her and hurried off to his lecture, Mari watched him go, sure that his stride showed more purpose, head high. Yes, it was time. Her jaw tightened with resolve, and she mentally quashed the tingle that rose in her spine, threatening to weaken her knees and fuddle her brain, the time for school-girl crushes was over. This time, she was going to be there for him.

 

He had been working on a report, his laptop open on the small table by the window, well, he had been trying to work on a report. Adrien was buzzing. He sat facing the door, and jumped whenever the little bell hung over it chimed, he was positively itching to see Marinette again, he still couldn’t believe that they had been studying at the same college for months, and that he had had no idea!  
Adrien had been dreadfully lonely, Alya had been on an internship abroad, Nino was travelling, last time he heard from him he was in Italy somewhere. And Mari? well apparently she had been right under his nose the whole time! 

Adrien was uneasy though, he liked Mari, he considered her his first real friend, but she was terribly shy, at least around him she was terribly shy.  
This had always baffled him. With Alya and Nino she could be perfectly animated, and sassy. She had spunk, he had watched her lock horns the likes of Cloe Bourgeois, and face down a furious Ivan, but the minute he showed up she would fall quiet, falling over her words and barely making eye contact.

He knew she was interested in design and fashion, he had always assumed that he, being the son of one of her idols, had intimidated her. He had hoped that she would get used to him being there, that she would be able to talk to him too. But school ran its course, graduations were celebrated, friends parted ways, and Mari had disappeared. He still had contact with Alya and Nino, but only once he had started at college, did he realise that he did not have her number. He looked at his phone now lying on the table, and remembered the pang of regret he felt the first time he scrolled through his contact list, and found her name missing.  
His first instinct had been to scroll to Alya’s number, she would know how to contact Mari surely. But he hesitated, his finger hovering over the green ‘call’ icon. She had been so reluctant to speak to him for so long, would she even accept a call from him now? he had cancelled the call. His heart sinking.

He smiled now, fate had brought her back to him, he had another chance to connect with the pretty girl with ink dark hair and freckles. And he was determined to do better. He cringed as he thought back to their meeting in the hall less than 2 hours ago, her startled squeak as he sprung an unexpected hug on her, something that would have rendered high school Mari and quivering mess. But she had hugged him back! and had accepted his invitation to meet again after lectures. That had to count for something right!? Adrien sincerely hoped so.

Adrien had been so deep in his reverie that he didn’t notice the approaching figure at all until she slid into the chair opposite him, he started so hard he slammed his knee on the table. Mari’s hand flew to her mouth, wide blue eyes staring into startled green ones, before she dissolved into a fit of giggles, “Sorry Adrien! I didn’t mean to…”  
He waved her down, chuckling himself, “My own fault for being so far away.”  
She smiled at him, and his heart fluttered, he had missed her. He started slow, ‘how have you been?’, ‘what are you studying?’, he let her get her stride, talking easily about their studies, most hated lecturers, and stifling projects. He smiled more freely than he had done in weeks, she laughed, light and tinkling, her eyes sparkled. This was good. She was beautiful.  
The thought caught him by surprise. He pushed it away, he was not going to ruin this. For the first time that he could remember she was something approaching comfortable in his presence, and he was not going to pass that up.

Even so, Adrien couldn’t suppress the little shudder that ran up his spine when her eyes sparkled like that. So much like someone else he knew…

Inevitably, the conversation had drifted to their mutual friends, Alya and Nino. The pair shared stories, and passed their phones back and forth to show pictures. After high school the dynamic had changed somewhat, Alya and Nino had become an official couple, and their respective pursuits moved them away from their friends and Paris, and often away from each other.  
Mari and Adrien’s relationship with their friends had become individual, Adrien’s contact with Nino had remained strong, as had Mari and Alya’s. But outside of that they only received occasional tidbits of the others whereabouts.

So now the pair took the time to catch up on the news from their missing friends, Adrien talking animatedly about the huge gigs Nino had DJ’ed for in Germany and Spain, the bands he had featured for, and the tours he had been on. Mari avidly recounting Alya’s tails of reporting in Afganistan, and showing him the picture of a bullet that had narrowly missed her leg, tears of sympathy forming as she recounted the stories of natural disasters where Alya had helped look for loved ones and belongings.

The best stories began when they started comparing Alya and Nino’s commentary from shared trips, like the couples diving trip to the Mediterranean, which Alya had loved, and Nino had, apparently (and unbeknownst to Alya) hated! 

The parallel conversations between Nino/Adrien and Alya/Mari, when held up side by side were hilarious!  
Mari hugged her sides, struggling to breathe through another fit if laughter, Adrien had simply collapsed on his arms, his shoulders shaking in breathless mirth.

Eventually they couldn’t take it anymore, Mari chucking her phone back in her purse and wiping moisture from her eyes as Adrien grinned at her, a devilish smirk played over his lips as he leaned a little closer “I would have paid good money to see Nino with an octopus plastered to his face.”, Mari dissolved into another fit of giggles, swatting ineffectively at him across the table. “Adrien stop! I can’t breathe!”

With the laughter spent, the pair fell into a comfortable silence, Adrien lying on his arms looking up at her as she sipped at the remains of her iced coffee. A thought nudged insistently at him, despite his better judgment he wanted to know… “Ok Adrien,” he thought, a small crease forming between his brows “tactfully now, don’t mess this up!…”

He smiled up at her, his chin still resting on his folded arms “This was nice.” Mari smiled shyly at him and nodded agreement, worrying at the cream stuck to the side of her glass with a straw.  
swallowing nervously Adrien carefully raised himself up onto his elbows “Wh-?... ” he hesitated, glancing up at Mari, he took a steadying breath “Now or never.”  
“Why haven’t we always been like this?”

Mari stilled, she was looking at him now, glass forgotten, Adrien took a chance “I just… I never got the impression you liked me very much…”, his hand came up, combing through his hair and rubbing absently at the back if his neck, a nervous habit he had picked up at school. “you were always so, so? animated, when you were with Alya, or even Nino, but not with me,” he looked away, folding in on himself a little “I know how passionate you were about fashion and design, it was the whole ‘Agreste’ thing, wasn’t it?” He looked back to Mari, her whole posture had stiffened, eyes downcast. “oh god what have I done…”, “Mari?” he reached for her hand, she pulled away, Adrien sagged, he’d had her, for a moment they had been close and comfortable, and it was gone. “well done, you just had to bring that up. Idiot!”  
“I’m sorry Mari, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

She didn’t look at him, didn’t move at all, and Adrien cursed himself, this little meeting had been a golden moment for him, and he’d ruined it. Looking at Mari now, so withdrawn, possibly for good, he’d done this, he only wished he knew why, why did she dislike him so? well he hashed up his chance of finding out, and staying here was apparently only making it worse.

“I… I should probably be going.” As he rose woodenly from his chair, a slender hand caught his wrist. Her eyes flashed across the coffee crowded shop, he faltered at the look in them, fear? her voice was so small he almost missed it.  
“C-can we t-talk somewhere else?”  
“Sure.” She still wanted to talk, maybe he hadn’t messed this up as badly as he thought. A bead of hope burned in his chest as he followed Mari from the coffee shop and away from the campus.

He fell in silently beside her as they walked, his hands tucked deep into his pockets, she didn’t look at him, but his presence was like sunshine. Behind her fragile composure Mari was at war, her high school crush had reared its ugly head, filling her with doubt and insecurity. Adrien had felt rejected, she’d done that, he’d looked so hurt, he thought it was his fault, she owed him the truth. So she took a moment now, channelling all the courage she had as Ladybug to beat the beast back down, to silence it, at least long enough to tell the boy she had been desperately in love with for years how she felt. She closed her eyes and took a long steadying breath, this was going to be one of the hardest things she had ever done.

The apartment block was an older one, but neat and well maintained, and well sought after due to its relatively low rent and location. Mari had been lucky to get this unit, it was on the 3rd floor, and even though there was an elevator, she preferred the stairs, the walkways were all open, edged with a waist high railing that the tenants had hung with various flowerboxes and ornaments. Adrien grinned, he could tell which door was hers long before they reached it, Mari’s plants were by far the lushest. He remembered her little flower garden on the balcony of her room above the bakery. Where Mari went, flowers thrived.

Adrien’s eyes scanned the apartment as he followed her inside, it was not overly large, an open plan kitchen was separated from the sitting area by a long island that doubled as breakfast nook and counter space, a small hall lead off from the kitchen to a pair of bedrooms that shared a Jack and Jill style bathroom. The smell of baking hung in the air, the three seater sofa and chairs were chosen for comfort rather than style, and were all well stocked with fluffy throws and squashy pillows. He loved it!

Adrien made a show of collapsing onto the sofa, wriggling in before clutching onto a large cushion and burying his face in it. Mari giggled, he glanced up to see her chew her lip thoughtfully before slipping into the kitchen. He watched her busy herself among the selves for a moment before approaching and perching himself at the breakfast nook, here she was in her element, she moved gracefully and carefully around her kitchen. The kettle sang and the microwave chimed within a moment of each other, both were attended to with deft movements of her slender hands, a bowl, fetched, filled and well whisked, the smell of fresh chocolate made his mouth water, cream had appeared from somewhere, and before he had time to properly register what she was doing, a steaming mug had been placed in front of him, topped with a muddled white and brown foam, it was Mari’s special hot chocolate, it smelled like heaven, and for all his exposure to fine dining and Michelin star quality food, he had never tasted its equal.

She had ducked into her pantry and returned with a glass jar of little marshmallows, she added some into her drink, before reaching over and carefully counting six of the fluffy sweets into Adrien’s mug, and deliberately placing one down on the counter beside it.  
All Adrien could do for a moment was stare at the marshmallows slowly melting into his drink.  
“You remember?” Mari’s cheeks had flushed, she nodded shyly “You’d always ask for 7,” she said softly, before adding with a chuckle “but you only ever played with the last one.”  
Adrien had in fact picked up the last marshmallow and had been rolling it between his fingers. He guffawed and popped it in his mouth before he made a mess of it and grinned at her. She did not meet his eye as she retrieved her drink and headed for the sitting area, curling herself up into one of the chairs, Adrien resumed his spot on the sofa, and waited.

She sat stiffly at first, slowly sipping her drink, eventually she began to relax, and keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the contents of her mug, Mari began to talk. Her voice was shaky and wavering at first, to Adrien she looked like a child at the dentist, like she might run at any moment, so he nursed his mug and listened, scared that if he interrupted her, she would not find the courage to start again. 

And Mari spoke, slowly finding a rhythm to her words and falling over them less, she spoke about her first days at François Du Pont, alone and friendless, she spoke about finding her first friends in Alya, and meeting Nino, she spoke about the rumours of a new celebrity student, and cringing that it would be Chloe that would bring him. She told him about her fears that he would be like Chloe, a spoiled rich kid, which was why she had reacted the way she did during the ‘gum incident’, and her regret the instant she had. She told him that as she got to know him, she found that he was the kindest and most patient people she had ever met…  
“… You have only ever been kind to me Adrien, to anyone, you put up with Chloe and her antics, even if you disagree with her, you put up with me, even though I was a stuttering mess around you, I have never known you to be anything other than a selfless and generous human being. I- I guess that’s why I had such a terrible crush on you…” There, she’d finally said it. Mari had confessed her deepest secret. She had wanted to say more, but her words died in her throat, her eyes screwed shut, she steeled herself for Adrien’s reaction, she wasn’t sure what she had expected, but silence wasn’t it.

Deep breaths seemed to be the order of the day she mused, as she steadied and drew courage to look up at Adrien, who was gaping, open amazement written across his features.  
She watched as the cogs in his head slowly shifted gear, a crease forming between his brows, he asked softly “Y- you had a crush on me?”  
Mari nodded, her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth, suddenly dry as dust.  
He blinked and collapsed back into the sofa “so all that, that stuttering, and, and the…” he vaguely waved his hand trying to convey his meaning, Mari huffed, the tension cracking and loosening her tongue “Yeah, the mixing up words, and the dropping things and the tripping over air…”  
He cut her off, “Was because you liked me?” she cringed, nodding at her mug.

Adrien seemed be wrestling with a dire internal conflict. His brows knotted and unknotted, his eyes flicking back and forth between unseen options.  
“I had no idea,” His voice was a distraught whisper, “My God I had no clue!” his hands wound into his hair and he threw his head back over the back rest and crowed “Lord above Mari! I must have been such a DOUCHE!”

Mari goggled, Adrien leapt from the sofa and paced back and forth, he rounded on her “Did Alya and Nino know?” she nodded sheepishly, Adrien made a strangled noise in his throat, his hands going to his hair again as he paced away from her muttering “They never told me, I’m gonna skin him, I’m totally gonna skin him…”  
Mari gave a shaky sigh “Adrien its ok, ”  
He rounded on her again, almost frantic “No! no its not ok Mari, I had no idea, sweat mercy I must have been such an IDIOT!” he collapsed back into the sofa like a puppet that had its strings cut, “If I had known I would have been more sensitive about, about…” he waved his hands animatedly “about EVERYTHING!” Mari giggled.  
Adrien’s eyes suddenly went as large as saucers, he sat bolt upright, blanching as his mind trailed back to high school, analysing his interactions with Mari through new eyes. “Oh hell…” he looked at her pointing between them “that time, with the thing… and I…” he cringed, “oh man, and when I…” a full body shudder that time, “and when you…” he buried his face in his hands “Mari I’m so, so sorry. I must have made you so uncomfortable. I’m such an idiot.”  
She shook her head, still giggling.

Adrien huffed “I’m killing Nino, Alya I kinda get why she wouldn’t tell me but Nino is a dead man.”  
Mari’s eyes went wide “Adrien no! I threatened to cut off their cookie privileges if they told you.” she shifted uncomfortably in her chair, “Don’t be mad at them, it’s not their fault.”  
He looked at her thoughtfully, she looked tired, her blue eyes pale, “How long?” he said it carefully.  
She still flinched “The crush?”, he nodded.  
Mari rose from the chair and approached the sofa, she put a knee on the seat and leaned over the backrest next to him, retrieving something. She sank down onto the seat, folding her legs beneath her, and handed Adrien a black umbrella, “I- I never did give it back to you…”  
It lay across his open palms, the umbrella he had given her on his first day of school, when he had offered her his honest apology, when he had received her radiant smile for the first time. When he had made his first friends. “Oh, Mari…”  
He looked at her now, she was focused on her hands fidgeting in her lap, the pretty girl with ink dark hair and freckles, the pretty girl that had liked him since his first day, and he had never had a clue.

“Why?” he looked back down at the umbrella “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
Mari smiled weakly, she stood up from the sofa and paced slowly to the window, leaning against the frame she stayed silent for a moment, Adrien followed her part way, stopping a few paces behind her.  
“You are Adrien Agreste, Agreste, teenage heartthrob and supermodel,” she cast a mischievous glance over her shoulder “most eligible bachelor in Paris?” referring to the latest magazine headlines, that featured Adrien in all his glossy, full paged glory. He flinched, and she chuckled before looking out over the twinkling city scape again. “The point is, that if you wanted some girl to scream ‘I love you!’, all you ever had to do was lean out of your window and wave.” Mari wrapped her arms around herself, “How often do you need to hear that before the words don’t mean anything anymore…” she folded in on herself, her voice going soft, “I wasn’t going to be one of those.”

Beyond her window the city of Paris glinted in the fading evening. She drew some strength from it, from her city. “You needed friends, people who spoke to you like a human being! who liked you for being you, who treated you like a person and not a celebrity, not some love-struck girl saying words to you that have lost their meaning ages ago,” Adrien’s breath caught, He could see her reflection in the window glass, was she, crying? “you had Alya, doing her ‘big sister’ bit and Nino,” she chuckled “just being Nino, I wasn’t going to ruin that by saying something stupid and making things all awkward.”  
She leaned her forehead against the window pane, her breath leaving a hazy fuzz on the cool glass, her eyes falling shut. “I wanted to be part of that so badly, there were days when you came to class...” her hands fisted in the fabric of her jacket, her brows creasing and her voice becoming clipped “you would smile that million dollar smile of yours so that nobody would notice, but you were dying inside.” she rounded on him now, her eyes sparkling, the tracks of moisture on her cheeks ignored, “when I saw that I just wanted to hug you, so hard! and tell you that everything was going to be alright!” she shuddered, her eyes falling away, “but I couldn’t… I just, couldn’t.” her frame sagged, she looked so small, so fragile. Adrien stepped closer, but Mari tensed and he froze, her eyes fell closed again. “Th-those days I’d run home during lunch hour, and bring back pastries or cookies or, something… I didn’t even have the courage to just give them to you, I made Nino share them with you, or made some lame excuse like we over stocked... I just,” she faltered, new tears wetting her cheeks “I just wanted to make your day, not so terrible.”

Adrien’s heart broke, he stood for a moment, marvelling at this girl, who ignored her own feelings in favour of his, who cared so much, and demanded nothing in return. This girl who looked like any moment she would break, shatter under the weight of her confessions. His hand found her cheek, stroking away her tears with his thumb, before he folded her in his arms, cradling her against his chest, “What have I ever done to deserve you Mari” he whispered into her hair, rocking her gently, as her hands wound into his shirtfront, letting her cry silently against his shoulder.

 

Eventually Mari pulled away, rubbing at her tear stained cheeks. Adrien silently offered her a handkerchief, she blinked owlishly at the square of fabric before accepting with a giggle “Who even uses handkerchiefs these days?”  
“You, apparently.” Adrien grinned, causing Mari to dissolve into a new fit of giggles.

The pair settled back onto the sofa, Mari tucking her legs in under her, Adrien sprawling low and clutching a squashy pillow. The rest of the evening was spent in quiet conversation, punctuated with easy silences, and fresh hot chocolate. The pair only realized the time, when the dwindling light took on the colour of roses and honey.

“Can we meet at the coffee shop again tomorrow?” the coloured evening light shot yellow highlights through Adrien’s green eyes as Mari walked him out, she smiled, “I’d like that.”  
He turned to her, opening his arms, “Is this ok?”. Mari responded by slipping her arms around his waist and squeezing. Adrien wrapped her up in his arms, a contented sound in his throat.  
“Good night Mari” she felt his warm breath in her hair, he gave her a little squeeze before stepping away, a smile tugging at his mouth.  
“Good night Adrien.” Mari watched him leave, trotting down the stairs 2 or 3 at a time, hailing a cab with a sharp whistle, and disappearing into the falling night.

Mari wend her way back inside in a haze, automatically tidying the living space before padding to her room and collapsing onto her bed, she lay there a long moment, digesting the days events.  
Contrasting emotions vied for her attention, threatening to overwhelm her again, to leave her tearful and breathless. But the feeling of Adrien’s warm arms lingered, how calmly he had accepted her confessions, fretting only that he had caused her distress. The recollection of his patient green eyes, of how gently he had held her, made her anxiety flee, leaving in its place quiet, warm, contentment.

She considered the day again, giggling to herself “15 year old Mari would have had a fit…”. A grin played across her face, she grabbed and pillow and hugged to her face squealing and giggling with all the glee of a teenage girl, a teenage girl who finally got to hug her crush. Her thoughts were interrupted by a crow of laughter from her kwami, she playfully threw the pillow at a hovering Tikki who easily dodged it, grinning happily at her charge.

Mari collapsed back on her bed, dark hair fanning behind her, she couldn’t help smiling through her fading consciousness, today had been, interesting, at the same time this had been one of the hardest, lowest, most elating, and amazing days she had ever had…

Emotional exhaustion seeped the strength from her bones and closed her eyes, Mari fell asleep with a smile still on her lips. Waking only when her alarm sounded the next morning.


End file.
